Hormonal modulation of glycogen reserves In the fat body of castor semilooper Achaea janata Linn (Lepidoptera, Noctuidea).

ABSTRACT

Histochemical details of the fat body in the fifth instar larval stage, pupa and adult moth of the castor semilooper Achaea janata were elucidated in detail using light and electron microscopy in conjunction with glycogen storage patterns using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The periodic-acid Schiff staining for glycogen in fat body was maximum in the spinning stage of the larva, when compared to the feeding stage and prepupal stages, and higher in the pupa than in the larva and the adult moth. In insulin injected and juvenile hormone treated fat body, glycogen deposition was more than in glucagon injected tissues. The periodic-acid Schiff stained bands in PAGE had electrophoretic mobility similar to the corresponding protein band numbers, indicating their glycoprotein nature.